High Blood Pressure(Hypertension)--breathing

[Guest guest]

Dear Andrew--

 

Some comments on the Relaxation Breath. It is a great emergency tool

(I have included it in my new book " Boundless Breathing " ), but I

don't think it is is a good idea to do a lot of daily breath holding

for most Westerners (which this technique involves).

 

The problem is that many people already hold their breath a lot, and

this exercise, as helpful as it can be, may well excacerbate that

tendency. For many people, who are fast, upper chest breathers, the

diaphragm already moves in a jerky, spasmodic, uneven way, with lots

of anxiety-driven breath holding after the inhalation--and it

certainly seldom moves through its entire range of motion. For such

people, the best work is to get them to lengthen their exhalation,

which notg only helps to reeducate the diaphragm, but also helps turn

on the parasympathetic nervous system.

 

The problem (from my persepctive) with the second breathing exercise

you give is not only the breath holding after inhalation, but also

the fact that many people do not know how to breathe with the

diaphragm. Many people when they try to breathe in the way you

descibe end up by tensing their chest, back, and belly. In fact, when

asked to take a deep breath, most people will raise their shoulders,

suck in their belly, and take a very shallow breath. Just telling

them to breath into their abdomen and lungs doesn't help a whole lot.

I have conducted many breathing workshops, and most people

(especially beginners) don't even know where their diaphragm is. So,

some sensory education is necessary.

 

I realize that these a classic pranayama exercises, but they were

originally taught to the student by a teacher who could check on how

they were being done. Even then, as I discuss in my book " The Tao of

Natural Breathing, " for people who do not breathe in a natural,

healthy way (many of us), this kind of pranayama exercise (as simple

as it may seem) is already too advanced for most Westerners. What's

more, pranayama exercises weren't actually designed for Westerners as

Durckheim makes clear in his book " Hara " (for those who haven't read

it, it is well worth reading). For Westerners, the problem has more

to do with grounding and centering, of getting out of the head and

upper part of the body, and of finding a lower center of gravity.

 

Well, I've probably rambled on enough here, but these were some of

the thoughts I had about what you wrote regarding breathing.

 

Best regards,

 

Dennis Lewis

http://www.authentic-breathing.com

 

PS: By the way, many Westerners cannot sit in a relaxed comfortable

position with their legs crossed. It often creates more tension for

them to try to do so.

 

 

 

, " yogiguruji " <yogiguruji@a...> wrote:

> Good Morning!

>

>

> High Blood Pressure(Hypertension)

>

> The Yogic breath exercise can be done without instruction, without

> danger, and with a good chance that your discomfort and stressful

> feelings will be reduced. Relaxation Breath is the most powerful

tool

> for stress management.

>

> Sit up, with your back straight in any position.

> Place your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your

upper

> front teeth and keep it there throughout the exercise.

> Exhale completely through your mouth.

> Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental

> count of four.

> Hold your breath for a count of seven.

> Exhale completely through your mouth, to a count of eight.

> Repeat this cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

> Try to do this breathing exercise at least twice a day. You can

> repeat the whole sequence as often as you wish, but don't do it

more

> than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice. This

> exercise is fairly intense and has a profound effect on the nervous

> system.

>

> Deep Diaphram Breath

> Sit with your legs crossed in a comfortable position. Breathe

slowly

> and evenly from your diaphragm, through your nose. Fill your lower

> abdomen, lungs, then chest with air. Hold for a four count then

> slowly exhale the air out from your chest, lungs, then lower

abdomen.

> Repeat 3 or 4 times. That's it! Just allow your shoulders to drop

and

> your face relax as you breath, deep.

> Also consider Alternate Nostril Breathing, Child's Pose, Half Moon,

> Mountain, Relaxing, Simple Inverted, Thunderbolt, Warrior.

>

> Color Therapy helps. When you are balanced, you can more

effectively

> fight dis-ease, rid your system of toxins, as well as, negative

> patterns. You can achieve balance through the vibrational remedy

and

> application of color. Color inteacts with the human energy system

in

> a unique way to stablize physical, emotional, mental and spiritual

> conditions. The best colors for high blood pressure are Blue and

> Green.

 

>

>

> Andrew Pacholyk LMT, MT-BC, CA

> Peacefulmind.com

> Alternative medicine and therapies

> for healing mind, body & spirit!

[Guest guest]

Wonderful quote Andrew,

Diana

 

yogiguruji [yogiguruji]Wednesday, October 30, 2002 7:15 AM Subject: Re: Re: High Blood Pressure(Hypertension)--breathingDear Dennis.Thank you for your post.A great mentor once taught me~"Nothing can be gained with a lack of trying".Please reread your post.In Happiness,Andrew**************************************************WWW.PEACEFULMIND.COM Sponsors Alternative Answers-HEALING NATURALLY- this is the premise of HOLISTIC HEALTH. Preventative and Curative measure to take for many ailments at:http://www.peacefulmind.com/ailments_frame.htm__________-To INVITE A FRIEND to our healing community, copy and paste this address in an email to them:http://www./members_add _________To ADD A LINK, RESOURCE, OR WEBSITE to Alternative Answers please Go to: http://www./links___________Community email addresses: Post message: Subscribe: - Un: - List owner: -owner _______Shortcut URL to this page: http://www.

[Guest guest]

Dear Andrew--

 

My own personal efforts, research, and experience--along with the

experience of the many people I have worked with in relation to their

breathing--make it clear that what and how we try is as important as

trying itself. As the old saying goes, " The road to hell is paved

with good intentions. "

 

And, actually, sometimes it's all our " trying " that turns on the

sympathetic nervous system, makes us anxious, and raises out blood

pressure. I've seen people try so hard with their pranayama exercises

that they make themselves anxious, tense, and miserable.

 

What's more, people who have any kind of breathing problem can hurt

themselves with breath-control exercises done without the presence of

a teacher to personally guide them.

 

But there are other ways of working with the breath--and reducing

blood pressure--that don't involve breath control. The breathing

practices that I teach involve awareness, touch, movement, special

postures, and sounds--all very natural and very safe. Indeed, you can

bring about healthy diaphragmatic breathing far more quickly through

these methods than through many of the pranayama exercises that are

so indiscriminantly being taught today.

 

By the way, most of the world's leading breath therapists--those who

spend their lives working with people's breathing problems (which can

be involved in elevated blood pressure)--advise against breath

holding at the end of the in-breath, whereas they do emphasize a

longer exhalation and a willingness to let the natural pause on the

outbreath begin to lengthen a bit (without any effort, by the way).

It's really more a matter of learning " to let go " than to do

something. Many of us carry around an immense amount of unncessary

tension and worry--and this wreaks havoc on our nervous system.

 

The " breath of life " is both a mystery and a miracle, and our often

blind efforts to manipulate it can cause problems--physical,

emotional, and spiritual. The quote about " trying " from your mentor

is nice, but, unfortunately, it doesn't really say much in relation

to this very big and important subject.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dennis Lewis

http://www.authentic-breathing.com

 

 

 

 

 

, yogiguruji@a... wrote:

> Dear Dennis.

>

> Thank you for your post.

>

> A great mentor once taught me~

>

>

> " Nothing can be gained with a lack of trying " .

>

>

> Please reread your post.

> In Happiness,

>

> Andrew